Captain Underpants 12
by Brockster550
Summary: Something smelly is going on in Piqua. George, Harold & Em have to find out the cause behind it (with a little help). Whose behind the stinkiness, and what's with all the brown fog? Can George, Harold, Em, their future selves and their pets save the day? To look for possible answers, the story must be read!


Captain Underpants 12: The Sensational Saga Of Sir-Stinks-A-Lot

fanfic by Brockster550

No copyright intended, I don't own the series, just the fanfic.

Ch. 1

George and George, Harold and Harold, and Emily and Emily

This is George Beard and George Beard, Harold Hutchins and Harold Hutchins, and Emily Krupp and Emily Krupp. George and George are the kids on the left on the ties and the flat tops. Harold and Harold are the ones on the right with the t-shirts and the bad haircuts. Emily and Emily are the only girls in the middle with shoulder-length blonde hair kept straight, polka dot blouses and red overall skirts. Remember that now.

If you've read our last story, then you'll remember how George, Harold and Em (Emily's nickname George and Harold opted to give her) have accidentally created duplicate versions of themselves. You know all the whys, whens, hows, and wherefores, so you're all caught up and ready to go. Congratulations! Good for you. Reading is power, isn't it? But if you _didn't_ read the last story, then you'll be scratching your head and saying to yourself, "Hey, myself, what the heck is going on here?"

Before we get started on that, I should give you a heads up and point out that the word _heck_ is impolite to say. These stories have been criticized for the use of such inappropriate language, and it's time to put a stop to all of that, once and for all. So, from here on out, you won't be seeing any more words like _heck_ , _tinkle_ , _fart_ , _pee-pee_ , or any other such word for that matter. No, sir! Those kinds of words are seen as being too offensive to grouchy old people who have way too much time on their hands.

So, out of respect for old people out there, it's time to include topics for them, some of which are especially their favorite ones. This means that there will be numerous references to health care, gardening, Bob Evans Restaurants, hard candies, FOX News, and gently-yet-effective laxatives. Now's the time to sit back and relax (on your hemorrhoid pillows), turn up the music, and get a snack of your choice. It's time to enjoy the all-new, squeaky-clean, fully appropriate, and NON-offensive adventures of Captain Underpants!

Ch. 2

The Species Who Knew Too Much

As we all know, it's good to be smart, even _very_ smart, as smart as one can be. But, it's never good to be _too_ smart because the, you'll just be asking for trouble. Take human beings (in other words, us), for example: We've been smart enough to invent gardening and health care, developing Chili's or Denny's restaurants and FOX News, and we've even managed to take candies, as well as even gentle-yet-effective laxatives to exciting new horizons. But somewhere along the road, we've gotten too smart for our own good, to the point where we've invented dumb things like car alarms, leaf blowers and spray-on hair.

Some of you might even think that _dumb_ things would've been good enough, but not so. Our big, ridiculous brains just weren't satisfied enough, and we ended up going one step too far. As a result, we started creating incredibly _dangerous_ things like atomic bombs and nuclear warheads, enough to wipe out every human being from the face of the Earth. Then, like the smarty-pantses we are, we've even handed launch codes over to politicians. Only human beings are smart enough to be dumb at the same!

It turns out that brains are alot like beans. They're both good, but you really don't want to overdo it with either one. As we can all see, too much of any good thing usually ends up being a _VERY BAD_ thing. Either way, you'll just making a huge, stinky mess. The story you're eventually going to read will be about the unfortunate tale of how the smartest brain on the planet created the biggest, stinkiest mess the world has ever witnessed. But before I can tell you that story, I have to tell you _this_ story...

Ch. 3

Smart Earth

As any scientist will tell you, we all exist in an ever-expanding multiverse with an infinite amount of stars and planets. There is a planet out there orbiting the sun in Orion's belt. This planet is called Smart Earth, which resembles _our_ Earth, but with the major difference is that everybody on Smart Earth is a genius. The reason everybody on Smart Earth is a genius is because the planet is made up of an element called Zygo-Gogozizzle 24. This is the kind of element that is a slightly radioactive substance, which can bind with organic matter, morph into complex organisms, and also be mixed with mayonnaise and dill-pickle relish to create both a tasty salad dressing and a clean-burning fuel source that has enough power to light up an entire city. One of the remarkable side effects of being in such close proximity with Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 is that is makes people much, _much_ smarter than they normally would be.

Now, Smart Earth is inhabited by geniuses, we all know that now, but nevertheless, it still shares similarities with _our_ Earth. Smart Earth has McDonalds (though it is called 'Smart McDonalds'), smartphones (but called 'smart smartphones), and even Pepsi (but called 'Smart Pepsi'). All of a sudden, one day, a smart scientist from 'Smart Harvard University' decided to do an experiment. It was the smartest, most intelligent experiment that was ever conducted. It was so incredibly smart that, eventually, it became totally dumb. That afternoon in her laboratory, Smart Earth's smartest scientist mixed Smart Diet Coke with Smart Pop Rocks, Then she added a third ingredient to this highly volatile concoction: Smart Mentos. This is what happened: Smart Earth exploded into millions of pieces. The explosion also sent chunks of Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 whizzing off in different directions throughout the galaxy and beyond.

One piece of the Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 landed in a pond on the planet, Badpun, which resulted in the water turning into smart pond water. Soon, the fish became so smart they started swimming in schools. Another piece of the Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 ended up landing in a grape vineyard on the planet Pinot. The Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 was quickly absorbed into the soil and was subsequently soaked up into the grapes. The grapes, which had been harvested almost to extinction, suddenly became self-aware and super intelligent. They all banded together in bunches and rose up to defeat their oppressors. The battle only lasted one whole night, but sadly it ended the next morning when the sun came up. The rebellion shriveled when the poor grapes ran out of juice. Apparently, there's a raisin for everything.

Perhaps the most devastating result of the destruction of Smart Earth, however, occurred when a tiny piece of the Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 entered the atmosphere of our _own_ Earth. It soared down through the sky at a terrific speed, zooming closer and closer to the midwestern town of Piqua, Ohio. Finally, the chunk of the Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 crashed through the roof of the Piqua Valley Home For The Reality Challenged. It landed in the group therapy ward, which was where all of the teachers and staff at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School had been transferred.

"What's that?" cried Principal Krupp.

"It looks like a meteorite." said Ms. Ribble.

"But, this one looks... a bit... _unusual_!" said Ms. Dayken, bewildered.

"Don't touch that," warned Dr. Izzy Feeling-Fine as he looked at the object. "It might be _The Blob_!"

Dr. Feeling-Fine's warning was heeded by everyone except for the gym teacher, Mr. Kenny B. Meaner. Now as I'm sure you're all aware, gym teachers tend to be alot like toddlers, in some ways. This means that you really need to keep an eye on them, due to the fact that they have a tendency to pick things up from off the ground and putting them in their mouths. Unfortunately, that's just what happened on that fateful day at the Piqua Valley Home For The Reality Challenged.

"Mmmmmmm," said Mr. Meaner as he happily chewed the Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 and swallowed hard. "Tastes like chicken!"

Ch. 4

The Trouble With Zizzles

Suddenly, the tiny chunk of Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 began to bind with Mr. Meaner's stomach lining. It also started taking over his cells at an alarming rate, spreading throughout his squishy innards and overriding his normal bodily functions. Soon, the Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 reached Mr. Meaner's mind, where it supercharged all of his brain cells and started the complicated process of making him smart.

"Are you alright, Mr. Meaner?" asked the psychologist. "You look a little... strange!"

"Of course I'm alright," replied Mr. Meaner. "Much more than that, actually. I'm exceptionally impeccable!"

The other teachers and staff looked at Mr. Meaner with worry. That was the first time they heard the gym teacher use any word larger than a three-syllable. Usually, he would just point and grunt.

"I think you'd better have a seat, Kenny." the psychologist suggested.

"Nonsense, my good man," said Mr. Meaner as his mind's neurons and glial cells began restructuring themselves, forming new connections and making his brain smarter and smarter with each passing second. "I've already spent an eternity in this here insipid infirmary already."

"Now, wait just a minute," said the psychologist. "You can't leave here. You're a patient."

"On the contrary," said Mr. Meaner, who started speaking in a standard British accent. "I shall walk right out that door expeditiously, and neither you nor anyone else is going to stop me."

"HELP! EMERGENCY!" shouted the psychologist. "We've got a runner!"

Another doctor rushed in to help. Together, they blocked the exit, refusing to budge, with their arms spread defiantly.

"You're not going anywhere, bub!" said the psychologist.

Mr. Meaner smirked as he looked at the two doctors with pity. This was going to be _too easy_. So the gym teacher approached the doctors, with a sly look on his face.

"I have some advice for both of you." said Mr. Meaner.

"Well, too bad," said the psychologist. "We're not going to follow _any_ of your advice!"

"Oh really?" asked Mr. Meaner. "Then I advise you to _NOT_ follow my advice!"

"W-Well, we're _not_ going to follow that advice." said the psychologist.

"But if we _don't_ follow his advice to _not_ follow his advice," said the other doctor. "Then aren't we _following_ his advice?"

"Wait, hold on," said the psychologist. "What if we follow his advice to _NOT_ follow his advice? Are we still following his advice?"

The two doctors became so entangled in their deep, paradoxical conversation that they didn't notice Mr. Meaner walking out the exit door.

"Hey, now's our chance to escape, too." said Ms. Ribble with glee.

The other teachers followed her out the door, right past the increasingly confused and frustrated doctors.

Ch. 5

Why Can't We Be Fiends?

Once all of the teachers and staff at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School were free, they followed Mr. Meaner up to a hilltop, watching the gym teacher in awe as he looked out over the horizon. Most people in Mr. Meaner's position would use their newfound brains to end world hunger and bring peace to humanity. But these things were the last things on Mr. Meaner's magnificent mind. He was still the gym teacher at heart, you see. And as everyone knows, most gym teachers are inherently evil.

"Well, something just occurred to me," said Mr. Meaner. "And it's that our most recent problems were caused by disobedient children."

"I heard that!" said Mr. Krupp.

" _SILENCE, YOU FOOL!_ " shouted Mr. Meaner. "Now, if the situation is to be rectified, we'll have to proceed with prudence and acumen!"

"I have no idea what those words mean," said Miss Anthrope. "But, I agree with you 139%!"

"Me, too." said the other teachers and staff simultaneously.

"Then, all of my commands must be obeyed," stated Mr. Meaner. "You all must return to your jobs and go about your business as usual. We don't want anybody to get suspicious."

"B-But, we want to be evil, too!" Mr. Rected, the guidance counselor, whined.

"Patience, my dear minions," said Mr. Meaner with a hideous sneer. "There will plenty of time for that in the days to come!"

"You got it!" said all the other teachers and staff simultaneously.

So they all went back to their respective houses for the evening. Mr. Meaner was ecstatic about his plans, and he wanted to inform his wife, Shelley B. Meaner, about them. He was giggling gleefully as he dashed home. He eventually made it home and told his wife what plans he had, and she, too was ecstatic and couldn't wait.

Meanwhile, in a certain treehouse, George, Harold, Em, their yesterday counterparts, and their hamsterdactyl pets Tony, Orlando and Dawn were doing activities they enjoyed, such as watching tv or reading comic books. Raising Sulu and Crackers' offspring was challenging, but worth it, as it allowed them to bond.

"One of these days," George suggested. "We ought to create a comic about Sulu, Crackers and their offspring!"

"That'd be so _cool_!" said Harold ecstatically.

"Yeah!" agreed Em.

"We can use this time to think of some good ideas!" said Yesterday George.

"Yeah," agreed Yesterday Harold. "With the right ideas, the comic will be a hit."

"And maybe a subsequent series, too," said Yesterday Em. "If, it _ever_ becomes a hit."

Meanwhile, Mr. Meaner and his wife drove to a house where Kenny's brother, Woody B. Meaner currently resided in and told him about the plan, too. Woody also got excited when he found out that he could help his brother out.

Ch. 6

Crimes And Mr. Meaner

Several days later, school was back in session, with George, Harold and Em going to school while their yesterday counterparts took the day off to look after Tony, Orlando and Dawn, as well as doing what they wanted. When they made it to the school, George, Harold and Em spotted a sign and decided to change the letters around, thus going back to their mischief, much to Miss Calculator's displeasure. Once they finished, George, Harold and Em jogged away laughing. Later that afternoon, the three climbed up into the treehouse to do their homework. Yesterday George was watching tv, Yesterday Harold was reading a comic book while Yesterday Em tending to Tony, Orlando and Dawn.

"How was school today?" asked Yesterday George.

"The usual." said George.

"Didja learn anything new?" asked Yesterday Harold.

"Not really," said Harold, shrugging. "Just the same ole stuff."

"Cause any mischief, too?" asked Yesterday Em.

"Yep," said Em. "Changing the letters around on a sign in front of Miss Calculator."

Finally, it seemed as if everything was returning to normal. But as you all know, appearances can be deceiving. This was especially true later that night because Mr. Meaner had tinkered over to a makeshift laboratory inside an abandoned factory near Franz Pond. He was accompanied by his wife Shelley, and his brother Woody. While Shelley and Woody dealt with building a machine (intending to make a total of three), Kenny concentrated on developing a potion, a powerful mind-controlling one. It would even work on the most unruly children. The potion's ingredients consisted of a mixture of sodium thiopental, liberal doses of butyric acid, tryptophan and Clamato juice. Then the gym teacher filtered the solution through an old, dirty pile of stinky gym socks. The concoction would smell bad, but the effects would be even worse.

"Well, my concoction is finally finished," said Mr. Meaner with glee. "And I know _exactly_ which three kids I'm gonna test the potion out on!"

"Woody and I finished building the machines, dear!" informed Shelley.

"Thank you, honey!" said Mr. Meaner.

Ch. 7

Spray Day

The next day, Mr. Meaner showed up to school looking a little different than usual. He still wore the same sweatshirt and sweatpants he'd had on all week (not really new), but somehow something about him had changed. It was Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em's turn to go to school and do homework that day. The kids dutifully went to their classes and did everything they were supposed to do… as well as a few things they were _not_ supposed to do. Mr. Meaner caught the pranksters changing the letters around on yet another sign.

"After their gym class," Mr. Meaner vowed. "They'll be getting punished by me, just like I planned."

Everything seemed pretty normal until George, Harold and Em's class were finished with gym. Mr. Meaner excused all the kids except for Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em.

"You three, I'd like to see you in my office, pronto." said Mr. Meaner.

"How come?" said Yesterday Em. "We didn't do anything… _probably_."

"IN MY OFFICE… NOW!" shouted the gym teacher, pointing to his office door.

The three yesterday counterparts reluctantly reported to Mr. Meaner's office. They'd been inside the office countless times before, just like with the principal's office. Mr. Meaner's office reeked of filthy mold, rat urine and even the outrid sweat of a thousand tormented souls. But today was different for some reason because the smell was much _worse_ than usual. Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em climbed into three sticky vinyl chairs and began holding their breath. Mr. Meaner closed the door behind him and sat down at his desk, staring at the three pranksters for a minute or so (with an evil grin slowly forming on his face).

"You three are probably wondering why I called you in here, are you not?" said Mr. Meaner with a sneer.

"Maybe," said Yesterday Em, who was getting suspicious. "But what for?"

"You three have been chosen to be the first ones to test out my new product." said Mr. Meaner.

"But we still have classes to go to." said Yesterday Harold.

"Yeah," said Yesterday George. "We can't be late."

"That can wait," said Mr. Meaner. "You'll need to help me experiment with my new product."

So the gym teacher lifted his arms, revealing two metallic spray nozzles under his crusty pits. Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em gasped in shock at what Mr. Meaner meant

"Say _hello_ to my stinky friends!" laughed Mr. Meaner as the nozzles spattered out two brown cloudbursts of choking noxious stank, causing the three pranksters to cough and wheeze. Then the gym teacher spoke again in a normal voice. "How'd it go?"

" **It worked like a charm, Mr. Meaner**." Yesterday George replied in a monotone voice.

" **It felt really good, too!** " said Yesterday Harold robotically.

" **We were honored to have helped you out with your experiment.** " said Yesterday Em in a drone-like voice.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Mr. Meaner, then he replied in his normal voice. "Now off to your next class."

So the yesterday counterparts started walking to their next class. They had math class with Miss Calculator (who wasn't pleased with the three pranksters for being late).

"You three are late for class!" snapped the math teacher.

" **My apologies, Miss Calculator.** " Yesterday George droned.

"Well, you're punished with extra homework." stated Miss Calculator.

" **That would be lovely, dear teacher.** " said Yesterday Harold in a monotone.

" **Homework is always appreciated.** " said Yesterday Em robotically.

Miss Calculator eyed the three suspiciously as they found their way to their desks and quietly sat down. Even when she droned on and on throughout the lesson, Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em were _still paying attention and sitting still_. It was as if they were becoming _model students_.

"I have no idea what you kids have gotten yourselves into," said Miss Calculator. "But, I actually _like_ it.

" **Thank you very much, Miss Calculator,** " said Yesterday Harold. " **I would be happy to please you.** "

" **Me, too,** " said Yesterday Em. " **More homework means more extra credit.** "

" **I agree,** " said Yesterday George. " **It'll help us do our very best.** "

"Wow," said Melvin, impressed. "George and Harold are much cooler than I thought."

All throughout the rest of the day, Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em were making _quite_ an impression on the faculty of Jerome Horwitz Elementary School. The three even walked past a sign without the changing the letters around, surprising Ms. Guided and Miss Labler. In fact, it was even making an impression on the school principal, Mr. Krupp (who is also Emily's uncle) and he was watching the three kids' _every_ move. Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em were going home with extra homework (as they had asked their teachers for some).

"Wow Kenny," said Mr. Krupp. "I have no clue what you did to them. But I like it!"

"Oh, it's nothing, Benny," said Mr. Meaner. "But this is only the beginning. George, Harold and Emily have changed. But soon, it'll be the entire world."

Unlike most megalomaniacs, Mr. Meaner had no interest in taking over the planet. He was smarter than that, knowing that the _real_ money and power was in pharmaceuticals. The gym teacher had created a successful formula that would transform children into highly attentive, obedient slaves. Mr. Meaner headed home to tell his wife and brother of his success in testing the formula.

"Well, the formula was a complete success," Mr. Meaner informed his wife and brother. "Pretty soon, all the children will become obedient slaves."

"Heck yeah!" exclaimed Woody. "I'm looking forward to the next part of the plan."

"I concur," said Shelley with an evil smile. "It'll just keep getting better and better!"

Ch. 8

Kids At Work

Later that afternoon, Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em walked to the treehouse where their present day counterparts were. They had so much homework that it took two trips to haul it up.

"What in the world?!" exclaimed Em.

"What's going on here?" asked Harold.

"What happened today?" asked George.

" **Not much happened,** " replied Yesterday Harold. " **The teachers were kind enough to give us seventeen pounds of homework.** "

" _SEVENTEEN POUNDS OF HOMEWORK_?!" shouted Em in utter shock.

"That's virtually impossible to complete, let alone by tomorrow morning before school!" George remarked.

" **No it isn't,** " said Yesterday Em. " **As long as we do it together, it'll be a piece of cake!** "

"How did this happen?" asked Em, flabbergasted.

"Body snatchers more than likely." Harold deduced.

"That has to be," said George. "We'd never comply with this, let alone seventeen pounds of homework. Have the teachers gone insane?!"

" **The best part** ," said Yesterday George. " **We thought you could do the homework while we continue going to school. Getting more and more homework will be** ** _tons_** **of fun!** "

George, Harold and Em groaned in exasperation. They would never, in a million years use _homework_ and _fun_ in the same sentence. While Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em plowed through the homework at a dizzying rate. But George, Harold and Em kept getting distracted. Even when supper time arrived, they were still doing their half of the homework.

" **How's the homework?** " asked Yesterday George.

"We haven't even put a dent in it!" said Em.

" **We brought you some extra food,** " said Yesterday Harold, as he, Yesterday George and Yesterday Em set some plates in front of their present day counterparts. **"You'll need your strength to keep on working!** "

"Gee whizz!" groaned George, Harold and Em in unison.

The three stayed up late, trying to finish their half of the homework. The yesterday counterparts slept in their beds and would get up early. George, Harold and Em started getting tired, to the point where they were getting sick.

Ch. 9

The Big Stinkeroo

The next morning, Mr. Meaner, Shelley and Woody started heading for Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, wearing mechanical ape suits that they built in the laboratory. They called themselves Sir Stinks-A-Lot, Ma'am Reeks-A-Lot and Mr. Smells-A-Lot respectively. With the three of them spraying the Rid-O-Kid 2000, it would do the job faster. In almost the blink of an eye, every student in the school had been transformed into obedient, down to earth machines. The kids were now experiencing the symptoms of Attention Superfluous Lethargy Syndrome.

"This is… AWESOME," exclaimed Mr. Krupp. "There's no more laughter, no more daydreaming, no more playing, no more goofing around, no more _fun_. It's like you've crushed their spirits _AND_ their imagination in one fell swoop!"

"Well, I'm just trying to do the world a huge favor," said Mr. Meaner with a slithery smile. "We have to raise a new generation of totally compliant button pushers. They'll do as instructed, they won't question authority and _best_ of all, no complaining."

"Hopefully this isn't dangerous." said Ms. Ribble.

"It isn't," assured Shelley. "Kenny tested the formula and us adults are totally immune to it."

"Yeah, so we won't have to worry about getting affected by the spray," said Woody. "It's only effective on kids."

What Mr. Meaner didn't take into account was the downside to the Rid-O-Kid 2000. It only lasted for twenty-four hours and in order for it to be effective, the spray needed to be redone every day.

"Parents will be thrilled to pay through the nose to get this!" Mr. Meaner declared.

One week had past and George, Harold and Em continued doing homework while their yesterday counterparts continued going to school. George, Harold and Em continued getting sicker and sicker because of their lack of decent sleep.

"We'd better take a break." said Em one morning, with a sniffle.

"Yeah, we should," said George, wiping his nose on a tissue. "Maybe we can watch some tv."

"Okay." said Harold, sneezing just as he finished.

So George grabbed a remote for their tv while Harold and Em got out their bean bag chairs. After flipping through several channels, George, Harold and Em saw the familiar face of their gym teacher, Mr. Meaner.

"What's our gym teacher doing on TV?!" exclaimed Em.

George turned up the volume on the tv, so they could hear it better and find out what was going on. He, Harold and Em watched in horror at what their gym teacher was advertising. It was a formula that turned kids into obedient robot-like slaves, followed orders without questioning and complaining. After the commercial ended, George, Harold and Em stared at the tv screen with their eyes wide in sheer horror.

"So that formula must've been the reason why our yesterday counterparts were acting all strange," Em deduced. "Getting what looked like twelve hours of homework and tons and tons more? No wonder we continue getting sick because we haven't been getting enough sleep for a while now."

"I _knew_ something was up from the time our counterparts started giving us more piles of homework," said George. "But it's much worse than I thought."

"What do we do now?" asked Harold.

"We need to get to the bottom of this." said George.

"We're still sick," said Harold. "I can't even breathe through my nose."

"Neither can we," said Em. "But a kid's gotta do what a kid's gotta do."

Ch. 10

Disguise Falling

George, Harold and Em rummaged through their houses to find the supplies they needed. There was no way they were going to show up at school as themselves again. They'd already learned their lesson in the last book. They needed to disguise themselves in any way possible, and it needed to be as convincing as possible. Once Jerome Horwitz Elementary School came into plain view, George, Harold and Em dashed behind some bushes to change into their costumes. George climbed onto Harold's shoulders and put on a coat. Em buttoned up the coat, then she herself put on her costume. They looked like a dating couple in their 50s with a major height difference (George put on a Groucho Marx disguise while Em put on a fake pair of glasses to make their respective disguises look even more convincing).

Once they were finished getting ready, the three kids headed for the school. Generally, a stranger would need to sign in and go through a security screening. But George, Harold and Em noticed that things at school were relaxed, _too_ relaxed from the looks of it. Their first clue was that there weren't any adults in the office. Upon closer inspection, George and Em saw that Miss Anthrope, the school secretary was sound asleep on the floor under her desk. Some third graders were giving her foot massages while the sixth-grade AV club was answering phone calls and filing papers.

"Odd," said Em. "The kids doing tasks that only adults are supposed to take care of? The teachers always took advantage of the 'life isn't always fair' phrase, but this is beyond unfair."

As the three walked down the hallway, it was getting weirder and weirder. There was some sort of brownish haze in the air.

"What's with the brown fog?" asked George.

"If my nose wasn't so plugged up," said Em. "I'd know."

The more George, Harold and Em continued roaming from room to room, it got even weirder. Some of the teachers were sound asleep, too. Some of their students were doing a number of odd things, like shaving one teacher's beard, plucking eyebrows and giving haircuts. The mathletes were were filling out tax forms for the teachers while the shop kids were washing the teachers' cars in the faculty parking lot. When George, Harold and Em reached the cafeteria, they saw several more teachers lying on the lunch table getting Ashiatsu massages and mani-pedis at the same time.

"Life sure has gotten better ever since that Rid-O-Kid 2000 was invented." said Ms. Zurry.

"I couldn't have agreed more," said Ms. Guided. "All of my students have finally settled down and paid attention. But obeying my every command, that makes life even better."

"Same here," said Mr. Rected. "Even my students are taking of my household chores and paying bills."

"Oh no," said Em in shock. "The teachers also helped to turn all the kids into mindless slaves."

"We'd better leave before we fall into the same trap." said George.

"But first, let's give the teachers some comeuppance in the form of pranks." suggested Harold.

"Great idea," said Em. "Maybe if we talk in adult-like voices, the children will follow our orders, too."

"Yeah," said George. "Since we're also dressed like adults, they're bound to listen to us."

"Then let's order all the kids to _stop_ following orders." said Harold.

"We've already used that joke near the beginning of the book," said Em. "We need to think of something else."

So the three started whispering all different kinds of ideas and new orders for the kids. They started with the kids who were giving haircuts and shaves for free.

" **Are you sure?** " asked the children.

"Yes," said George, sounding like an adult. "I'm an authority figure here."

" **Very well, sir.** " said the children.

Next George, Harold and Em moved toward the kids filling out the tax forms and whispered orders to them.

" **Are you sure?** " they asked.

"Of course," said Em, trying to sound like a grown-up. "I'm an adult here, so no questioning my authority."

" **Yes ma'am.** " said the kids.

Then George, Harold and Em walked over to another group of kids and handed them some permanent markers, then they whispered orders for them.

" **Are you sure?** " they asked.

"Positive," said George. "No mistake, I'm an adult here."

" **As you wish.** " said the children.

George, Harold and Em continued on with their task for the rest of the afternoon. Then they left the school to look for the kids who were at any particular teachers' house. What the teachers will discover upon waking up was bound to be too funny. Soon, the three reached Mr. Rected's house and the kids there were watering the garden, mowing the lawn, painting the house, etc... etc. George and Em whispered new orders for them as well.

" **Are you sure?** " they asked.

"Yes," stated Em. "We're adults here, so don't either of our authorities."

So George, Harold and Em headed back to the treehouse, feeling proud of themselves. By this time, the teachers were already waking up.

"Hey!" shouted Miss Anthrope as she looked at her face in the mirror. "Somebody drew a mustache on my face with a permanent marker while I was snoozing."

"Mine, too!" shouted Miss Fitt as she looked at herself. "They even spray-painted my rear end."

"Somebody happened to give me a mohawk." cried Ms. Ribble, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Someone shaved my eyebrows and glued them to my chin." Ms. Zurry wailed.

"Well, nobody bothered to do anything to me," said Ms. Dayken with relief in her voice (unaware that the back of her clothes, except her underwear had been torn. The top of her head was also shaved). "I've been spared."

"Don't look now," cried Mr. Rustworthy. "A bunch of kids are filling up our cars in the parking lot, with low-fat cottage cheese."

This made the teachers rush to the windows. To their horror, they were filling car upon car with low-fat cottage cheese.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?" shouted the teachers.

" **Obeying orders!** " said one of the kids.

"Who gave these orders to you all?" screamed Mr. Krupp.

" **Some authority figure,** " said another child. " **We never question authority, remember?** "

The teachers were outraged, so they marched over to the factory that Mr. Meaner was creating the Rid-O-Kid 2000 spray formula. Mr. Krupp opened a door and barged in, making Mr. Meaner, Shelley and Woody jump up in surprise.

"That formula isn't working," Mr. Krupp screamed at the gym teacher. "Look at what those kids did to us."

"That can't be," said Mr. Meaner in surprise. "Something isn't right. My wife, brother and I will get to the bottom of this."

So he, Woody and Shelley climbed into the car owned by Woody and drove off. Even with his massive, intelligent brain, the gym teacher still couldn't figure out what _exactly_ was going on. They drove by Mr. Rected's house and saw, to their horror what the kids were doing. Some of them were watering the house, some of them mowed the flowers while some of the others were painting the lawn with white paint, using paint rollers to accomplish it. The three meaners gasped in utter shock at what they had witnessed.

"What in _TARNATION_ are you kids doing?" asked Mr. Meaner.

" **Just obeying instructions.** " said one of the kids.

"Who ordered you all to do this?" asked Mr. Meaner, flabbergasted.

" **Some adult,** " said another kid. " **They can't make any mistakes, right?** "

This made the meaners climb back into the car and drive away.

"No adult would give _these_ kinds of orders," Mr. Meaner concluded. "It has to be a child doing this!"

"It won't matter where they hide," said Shelley. "That spray covers a good range."

"Yeah, and we can spray any hiding spot," said Woody. "With the three of us, the job will be done in a heartbeat."

"Yeah, and _all_ children are supposed to be obedient slaves," said Mr. Meaner. "We'll search for them all night if we have to."

Ch. 11

Let It Spray, Let It Spray, Let It Spray

The three made it back to the factory to get into their mechanical ape suits. Then they stomped out of the factory and began spraying the formula out into the open like crazy with the Mecha-Spray armpits.

"SAY HELLO TO MY STINKY FRIENDS!" shouted the meaner simultaneously.

The horrible brown clouds began increasing in size at a fast rate. It was a few hours later when George, Harold and Em saw the brown clouds from the treehouse window.

"There's that brown fog again," said George. "It's quickly reaching our neighborhood."

"It's a good thing our noses are clogged up," said Harold. "We're immune to that because we can't smell anything."

"But our colds won't last forever," said Em. "I'm already beginning to feel better."

"Krud," said George with realization. "What do we do now?"

"We need an adult we can trust and quick," said Harold. "It's our only hope."

"You're right, let's go ask our parents." said Em.

The three knew they had no choice but to ask their parents for help. They sneaked up to a window of Harold's house and peeked through. Their respective families were having dinner and were just finishing up.

"Thank you for inviting us over for dinner." said George's dad.

"It's no problem." said Harold's mom.

" **We'll clear the table for you,** " said Yesterday Em. " **So we can make room for dessert.** "

" **We'll even wash the dishes for you.** " said Yesterday Harold.

"Thank you for inviting us over for dinner." said George's parents.

"Yeah, thank you very much." said Em's parents.

"It's always a pleasure." said Harold's mom.

George, Harold and Em considered walking in to tell their respective families what all was going on. They didn't get a chance because their families started talking.

"I have no idea what came over those kids," said George's dad. "But I like it!"

"Me, too," said George's mom. "They really seemed to have grown up finally."

"They must've decided to get their act together," said Harold's mom. "Maybe they'll have a better chance of success in the future now."

"Their attitudes have been remarkable for the past few days," said Em's mom. "What an _improvement_!"

"No kidding," said Em's dad. "It's like their personalities have changed dramatically!"

"Maybe we'll have some peace for once." said Kipper in agreement.

"Maybe Harold will be a better big brother from now on." said Heidi.

George, Harold and Em looked at one another with sadness. The three walked back to their treehouse with broken hearts.

"I can't believe our parents like the new versions of us." Em sobbed, sniffling while doing so.

"Now it seems like we have no one to turn to." said Harold sadly.

"I've got an idea." said George.

So he, Harold and Em started making a beeline for Melvin's house, despite all the brown fog covering the town. Fortunately, Melvin's garage door was still open, with the two glow-in-the-dark, time-traveling space squid suits. George and Harold helped Em up into the cockpit of one of the Robo-Squid suits. After firing up the engine, Em reached down with two tentacles and picked George and Harold up, then she moved the Robo-Squid suit outside.

"You know," said Harold. "We shouldn't be taking this. It isn't even ours and stealing is wrong."

"Technically, one of the squid suits _is_ ours," said Em. "Remember, Melvin only had one of these, then we made the second one when we came back to take our tests."

"Yeah, you can't steal something that you made," said George. "Unless you sell it to somebody else."

"Yeah, good point." said Harold with realization.

Once they were a safe distance from the garage, Em set the controllers to travel into the future and pressed the 'start' button. The Robo-Squid suit began to shake and sputter, then it disappeared in a ball of blinding light.

Ch. 12

And Away We Go!

George, Harold and Em were transported twenty years into the future instantly. They quickly ran up to an old lady with her twenty-three year old son.

"Look, son," said the mother, pointing to the squid suit. "A giant, glow-in-the-dark robotic squid is carrying two boys in two of it's tentacles."

" _Sure_ it is, Mom," said her son. "How often must I remind you to take your medication?"

"Excuse us." said George.

The guy looked up from his phone and screamed, "AHHHHH! IT'S A GIANT GLOW-IN-THE-DARK ROBOTIC SQUID CARRYING TWO BOYS IN TWO OF IT'S TENTACLES!"

"Um, yes," said Harold. "Can we borrow that phone for a minute? We need to locate George Beard, Harold Hutchins and Emily Krupp."

"The author's?" asked the guy.

"D-Did you j-just say… authors?" asked Em with excitement.

"Yes," said the guy. "Everybody knows that George Beard writes those awesome Dog Man graphic novels.

"NO WAY!" exclaimed George.

"His two friends are Harold Hutchins," the guy went on. "He does all the drawing."

"For real?" asked Harold ecstatically.

"Uh-huh," said the guy. "Their female best friend named Emily, or Em Watson is the colorist for the novels."

Em was speechless at the revelation that she was a colorist in the future. She, George and Harold wanted to dance around in celebration, but they knew that they had to get information as quick as possible.

"Do you know where they live?" asked Em.

"Oh, yeah," said the guy. "They live on Echo Hills, right next door to one another."

"Well, thank you very much." said George, Harold and Em in unison.

So the three kids started making a beeline for one of their future selves' houses. They could hardly contain themselves, even when they approached the door to future George's house. George rang the doorbell and half a minute later, his future self answered the door. Future George looked alot like the present day George, only at age twenty-nine-and-three-quarters. Future George recognized his younger self immediately, as well as Future Harold's and Future Em's respective younger selves.

"Holy Tuledo!" exclaimed Old George. "Wh-What are you guys doing here?"

"Now now, honey," said Old George's wife, when she came to the door. "Don't be rude to your fans."

"Dear, they're not my fans," said Old George. "It's _US_!"

"Us? Us who?" asked Mrs. Beard.

"Me, Harold and Em, as kids." said Old George.

George, Harold and Em accepted the invitation to come in. The three kids were all ecstatic as they tore through the house, checking out what all Old George had.

"Wow," said George. "I sure have pretty good taste, I admit."

"A pinball machine!" exclaimed Em.

"No way!" exclaimed George. "I've always wanted one."

"Can we have a turn playing it?" asked Harold.

"I guess so," said George. "After all, it's _mine_."

"Wow, there's also a treehouse in the backyard." said Harold.

"Our kids play up there quite regularly." said Old George.

"Our _KIDS_?!" asked George.

"Yes, and it's time for you to meet the family," said Mrs. Beard to George, then she turned to Harold and Em. "I'll go round up your respective future families."

Ch. 13

Meeting The Gang

All too soon, everybody gathered inside Old George's studio. Old George and his wife had two kids, a girl named Meena and a boy named Nik. Old Harold, his husband and their twins, Owen and Kei came in not long after. Then Old Em came in with her husband and their daughters, Ramsey and Quincey. Old George and family sat down on a sofa, Old Harold and his family plopped down in a beanbag chair. Old Em and her family sat down in mushroom chairs.

"Children," said Mrs. Beard. "I'd like you to meet your parents as kids."

"Wow, dad," said Meena. "You used to be cute!"

" _Used to be_?!" said Old George. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We're here because we need to borrow your dads," said Em to Old George's and Old Harold's children. Then she turned to Old Em's children. "And your mom. They're the only adults we can trust."

"Yeah, this is an emergency." said Harold.

"Hold the phone," said Old George. "How come we don't remember any of this?"

"Hard to say," said Old Em. "If our past selves remember this, why is it that we don't have any memories?"

"Maybe a case of bad writing?" guessed Old Harold.

Then he, Old George and Old Em got up to get ready.

"Wait," said George. "We never got to finish playing some pinball."

"Or read any of your graphic novels." said Em.

"I thought you all had an emergency." said Old George.

"Just one chapter, _pleeeease?_ " begged Harold.

"Well, alright." said Old Em.

So George, Harold and Em grabbed a graphic novel from the bookshelf, flipped it open and began reading a random chapter. The three were grinning at what all was written in the novel, they were enjoying it.

"Well, how was it?" asked Old Em.

"Pretty good." said Em.

"Yeah, phenomenal." said Harold.

"I liked it!" said George. "It's time we boogie."

So Em climbed up into the cockpit, with George and Harold helping her up. After powering up the Robo-Squad, Em reached down with two tentacles and grabbed George and Harold. It took two tentacles each to pick up Old George, Old Harold and Old Em.

"We probably should wave goodbye to our families." said Old Harold.

So he, Old George and Old Em did just that, while Em powered up the time machine in the squid suit. As they disappeared into the ball of light, they all waved goodbye.

"Don't worry," assured Em. "We'll be back by the start of chapter 18."

Ch. 14

And Away We Go… Again!

Everything stopped all of a sudden, they were all back in the present. Then George, Harold, Em and their future selves looked down from the vacant hilltop at the city of Piqua and it was still engulfed by the gigantic, stinky brown cloud. So George, Harold, Em and their future selves began making a mad dash to the treehouse. Old George, Old Harold and Old Em saw the hamsterdactyls, Tony, Orlando and Dawn in their respective beds.

"Wow," said Old Em. "It's been years since I was last up here!"

"Tony, Orlando and Dawn," said Old George, looking at the fuzzy critters with recognition. "I remember them!"

"But what happened to them?" asked Old Harold. "They disappeared one day."

"They've been here since they've hatched." said Em.

"Listen up boys, and girl," said Old Em, to George, Harold and Em. "You three stay here while we take care of Mr. Meaner."

"He has his wife and brother with him," stated Harold. "It'll be more challenging."

"But it's up to _us_ adults to save the world this time." said Old Harold.

Old George, Old Harold and Old Em knew the first thing they needed to do was go to Mr. Krupp's house. Unfortunately, it was at that moment when Mr. Meaner was walking down the street while his wife and brother took care of some of the other streets. Old Em rang her uncle's doorbell, panicking at the same time. Mr. Krupp answered the door, with his face all clean of the permanent marker.

"Whaddya want?" barked Mr. Krupp.

"The help of an old friend." said Old Em, snapping her fingers.

"Well, answer me!" snapped Mr. Krupp.

Old George, Old Harold and Old Em looked at one another in shock. The finger snaps weren't working because the principal's face was still wet. Out of desperation, they tried again and again.

"Alright you weirdos," screamed Mr. Krupp. "Quit snapping your fingers in my face. It's making you act like kids."

Mr. Meaner and his Stinky-Kong Mecha-Suit were drawing closer and closer. The street was shaking with every forceful stomp of the metallic monkey feet. After snapping their fingers for like the umpteenth time, Mr. Krupp's face went from angry to terrified (his face was still wet). Mr. Meaner stopped and looked down at the four adults before him, with an evil grin.

"Adults, acting like kids?" said the gym teacher gleefully. His genius brain started calculating the information he needed. "You must be the pranksters I've been looking for. You may be immune to the effects of my Rid-O-Kid 2000, but you three must be locked up, for you all's own good."

The he reached down and grabbed Old George and Old Harold in the clenching claws. Then Mr. Meaner made the claws form into fists and punched Old George and Old Harold. Then he set the two down and proceeded to pound them repeatedly. Due to the help of his machine, Mr. Meaner was the winner.

"Hey, d-don't squeeze them," cried Mr. Krupp, as he finished drying his face with a red curtain with black dots on it. "You'll ruin my precious lawn."

Old Em saw that her uncle's face was completely dry, so she snapped her fingers again. This time, a smile finally formed across Mr. Krupp's face. He turned into Captain Underpants and tore his outer clothing off, _and_ tied the curtain around his neck. It was now time for the battle of the century. Once Captain Underpants finished stomping on the gym teacher's head, he tossed Mr. Meaner's out-cold body out onto the ground and smashed the machine into bits and pieces, making sure it was beyond repair. Some time later, Mr. Meaner woke up in a prison cell at the Piqua State Penitentiary. His wife and brother continued to help wreak havoc throughout Piqua.

"Well, well, well," said Warden Schmorden smugly, as he walked by. "It looks like your days of giving orders are OVER!"

"Before that happens," insisted Mr. Meaner. "Go make me an egg-salad sandwich."

"Right away!" said Warden Schmorden.

"And don't forget the dill-pickle relish!" said Mr. Meaner.

"I wouldn't even think of doing that, sir." said Warden Schmorden, as he walked away.

Five minutes later, the warden came back with the egg-salad sandwich loaded with the dill-pickle relish. He handed it to Mr. Meaner, who immediately grabbed it and scarfed it down, looking quite triumphant. Suddenly, Mr. Meaner's body began to change. The mayonnaise and the dill-pickle relish began to combine with the Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 that had taken over his body. It started with his body vibrating and glowing, with tiny sparks of electricity shooting out of his toes and fingers. Then Mr. Meaner started growing, so much that he crashed out of the cell. Next, he started pushing his way through the side of the prison (busting some walls open in the process). Mr. Meaner had transformed into a highly intelligent blob of pure energy.

"I AM SIR STINKS-A-LOT!" bellowed the gym teacher, as he zapped everything around him with cataclysmic crackles of electricity. "NOW I MUST GO AND FIND MA'AM REEKS-A-LOT AND MR. SMELLS-A-LOT!"

So Sir Stinks-A-Lot started slithering sloppily down the street, looking for his wife and brother. They were still spraying the Rid-O-Kid 2000 around town, but they realized that they were running out of the stuff. Then they spotted the blob coming toward them and realized that it was Kenny.

"We need to find Captain Underpants," stated Mr. Meaner, looking eager for revenge. "That superhero got me landed in the prison. Now we need to take him out."

"You got it, Kenny!" shouted Shelley and Woody in unison.

"Oh Captain Underpants," Sir Stinks-A-Lot called out, mockingly. "COME OUT AND _PLAY-YAY_!"

All of a sudden, Captain Underpants swooped in and smashed Sir Stinks-A-Lot on the noggin with a telephone pole. The gigantic, evil blob began zapping lightning rays and swinging his giant fists, but Captain Underpants was just too quick. When Shelley and Woody tried helping by using their still-working ape suits, the Waistband Warrior turned his attention to the two and smashed their ape suits beyond repair. Then Captain Underpants found some rope nearby and tied Mr. Meaner's wife and brother up. Sir Stink-A-Lot was getting angry and frustrated and annoyed, so he turned toward Old George, Old Harold and Old Em, with a snarky grin on his face.

"You three _seem_ to know Captain Underpants really well," sneered Sir Stinks-A-Lot. "So tell me everything or I'll make pancakes out of you with _MY FISTS!_ "

He raised his fist threateningly above the three adults. Still, they wouldn't tell the blob anything, so Sir Stinks-A-Lot clobbered Old George, Old Harold and Old Em with a powerful punch. This made the adults emerge with the evil glob of energy, and soon they became one.

"HAW! HAW HAW!" laughed Sir Stinks-A-Lot. "I've absorbed their bodies and memories, so now I know everything that _they_ know!"

Then the blob used his massive, glowing brain to quickly sort through Old George's, Old Harold's and Old Em's respective memories. He learned how the three first met, how they became friends, how they created Captain Underpants, and unfortunately how the Waistband Warrior can be destroyed. Then a sinister sneer spread across Sir Stinks-A-Lot's blobby face. Swiftly, he oozed his way over to Franz Pond, chuckling maniacally while doing so.

"Let those three go," ordered Captain Underpants. "Or else, I'll…"

" _You won't be doing anything!_ " screamed Sir Stinks-A-Lot.

Then he swooshed one of his mighty hands into the pond and sent a gigantic wave of water flying into the air, splashing Captain Underpants and turning him back into Mr. Krupp.

Ch. 15

The Night The Lights Went Out In Piqua

The splash of the water made Mr. Krupp fall to the ground, screaming in terror in the process. He smashed into the earth with a terrifying sound effect.

"HEY! I'm okay!" said Mr. Krupp as he sat up and dusted himself off.

"Wait, he's not even hurt!" exclaimed Sir Stinks-A-Lot. "How can that be?"

So he reached down and touched Mr. Krupp with a gigantic glowing finger. A powerful burst of Zygo-Gogozizzlistic energy zapped forth from his massive fingertip, scanning Mr. Krupp's body. Quickly, the villain's bulbous brain analyzed each and every strand of DNA in Mr. Krupp's body until a foreign substance was detected.

"SO!" shouted Sir Stinks-A-Lot. "You've got alien _Super Power Juice_ in your DNA? I guess I'll need to extract it!"

Sir Stinks-A-Lot's finger started glowing brighter and brighter as he performed one of the most complicated laser surgeries ever: a Super-Power-Juice- _ectomy_. As carefully as possible, the blob removed all of the super powered elements from Mr. Krupp's DNA and absorbed them all into his massive glowing body. Luckily Mr. Krupp was unharmed, but he ran away screaming anyway.

"Now I'VE got super powers!" said Sir Stinks-A-Lot with an evil laugh. "Now I'm truly unstoppable!"

What the villainous blob failed to take into account was that Old George, Old Harold and Old Em were still a part of him. Since they were all still emerged together, the three best friends brains were now filled with super-powered Zygo-Gogozizzle 24. The three adults quickly sorted through every particle of Zygo-Gogozizzle 24 and every glowing joule of energy that made up their hulkingly monstrous body. All too soon, they knew everything about their enemy, from the chemical makeup used to the events that led tp the destruction of Smart Earth. Old George, Old Harold and Old Em oozed up from the back of Sir Stinks-A-Lot's head and started sending a message. The three old friends thought as hard as they could and soon, a telepathic signal radiated from their gooey heads to their treehouse, miles away. Unfortunately, George, Harold and Em were sound asleep. They didn't pick up the telepathic message at all. But luckily someone else did! It was their hamsterdactyls, Tony, Orlando and Dawn. They swooshed out of the treehouse and headed for a nearby shopping center, knowing that the fate of the entire planet was in their tiny paws.

Ch. 16

Laughter Moon Delight

Sir Stinks-A-Lot had been victorious, and now it was time to gloat. "I've just defeated the world's greatest superhero! And now I'm the most intelligent _and_ most powerful entity the world has ever SEEN!"

Then he oozed over to his Rid-O-Kid 2000 factory and kissed the roof gently.

"Soon," Sir Stinks-A-Lot declared loudly. "My stinky spray will take over the brains of all the children on Earth. I'll be their leader and they'll _obey_ my _every_ command!"

He threw back his head and started laughing maniacally. The villainous blob was so distracted by his laughter that he didn't notice three fuzzy creatures flying toward him, with a bottle of diet coke, a stick of mentos and a bag of pop rocks in their respective paws. They poured the stuff onto the blob that was Sir Stinks-A-Lot, resulting in a humongous explosion.

CHEFFGOAL-D'BLOOOM!

Ch. 16

Stuck In The Puddle With You

The explosion was so humongous that it ripped Sir Stinks-A-Lot's body apart. At the same time, this also released a powerful electromagnetic pulse and launching the Super Power Juice and Zygo-Gogozizzile 24 deep into outer space. The explosion also destroyed the factory, disintegrating the Rid-O-Kid 2000 and leaving all that was left in a big, stinky mess. A crowd of people gathered around Franz Pond to view the horrible glob of devastation, which started bubbling and moving. Then Old George, Old Harold and Old Em climbed out of the gooey center, completely unharmed.

"HOORAY!" shouted the crowd, as they threw their hands up to celebrate.

The glob started bubbling and moving again. Tony, Orlando and Dawn popped out of the center, also completely unharmed.

"YIPPEE!" cheered the crowd.

Then the glob started bubbling and moving one last time. Mr. Meaner popped his head out, having been reverted back to his old self. He looked around and smiled, as if to say that it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

"Aww, maaaan!" moaned the crowd, turning around and walking away. They had either angry, downhearted or sad looks.

Ch. 17

Back To Normal

The next morning as the sun started rising, George, Harold and Em woke up inside their treehouse. The three looked out and saw that the brown fog had _finally_ disappeared.

"The city's back to normal now." said Em.

"Yep," said George. "No more brown fog."

"That means that the kids will revert back to their old selves soon," said Harold. "If they haven't already."

It was a good thing too, because George's, Harold's and Em's respective colds were finally gone. The three friends climbed down and peeked in through Harold's bedroom window. Yesterday Harold was still sound asleep. The effects of the Rid-O-Kid 2000 would wear off soon and allow Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em to return to normal. So George, Harold and Em walked out toward the front yard and saw three familiar faces walking toward them and three fuzzy, winged creatures flying toward them.

"What happened?" asked Em in a worried voice.

"Is everything okay?" asked George.

"Definitely!" said Old Em with relief in her voice.

"Adults can be heroes too, you know." said Old George.

"Yeah, you're right," George realized. "Anybody can be a hero if they put their minds to it."

So George, Harold, Em and their older counterparts started heading back to Echo Hill. Old George, Old Harold and Old Em told their younger selves what all happened on the way back. They passed through Curmudgeon Drive and by Principal Krupp's house. Mr. Krupp was raking his grass as a jogger passed by, snapping her fingers.

 _SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!_

"You stay outta my yard!" shouted Mr. Krupp, raising a fist in anger.

"What's going on?" asked Em, perplexed. My uncle heard somebody snap their fingers, but he didn't turn back into you-know-who!"

"I have no idea how that happened." said Old Harold.

Maybe it was the electromagnetic pulse that erased the hypnotic spell from Mr. Krupp's brain. Or maybe the Super-Power-Juice-ectomy had a role in that. Nobody knew exactly what had happened, but for some strange reason, Principal Krupp was now back to normal, too. Soon, the heroes made it back to Echo Hill to return to the future.

"Thanks for the help last night." said George.

"Yeah," said Em. "You all did an incredible job!"

So she climbed into the cockpit of the Robo-Squid suit, powered up the machine and picked George and Harold up with a couple tentacles. Then Em used the other tentacles to pick up their older selves (who also held Tony, Orlando and Dawn in their respective arms). Then in a blinding flash of light, they disappeared into the ball of energy.

Ch. 18

Home Again, Naturally

Suddenly, George, Harold, Em, their older selves, and their fuzzy flying pets found themselves twenty years into the future. The hill was now filled with homes and trees, with Old George's, Old Harold's and Old Em's respective families running up to them. It was a joyful reunion.

"It's time we head back home." said Harold.

"You know," said Em. "We don't actually _have_ to go home."

"What do you mean, Em?' asked Harold in bewilderment.

"We have this time machine with us," stated Em. "We can go wherever we want!"

"Yeah," said George ecstatically. "We can all time travel together. This will give us the opportunity to go on awesome, new adventures!"

"That sounds like fun!" exclaimed Harold.

"Em, what shall we do first?" asked George.

"Maybe we should go rescue Sulu and Crackers," suggested Em. "I'm sure they'd want to meet their offspring!"

"Well Tony, Orlando, Dawn, what do you say?" asked George, facing their hamsterdactyls. "Do you wanna go meet your parents?" The fuzzy creatures wagged their tails and flapped their wings in excitement.

"How will we do that?" asked Harold.

"I'm not sure," said Em, while setting the time travel controls up again. "But we'll think of something. We've always managed that!"

So George, Harold, Em and their hamsterdactyls waved goodbye to their future families. Then a blinding flash of brilliant light surround the Robo-Squid and with another blinding flash of light, they disappeared.

Meanwhile back in the present time, a few hours had passed and the effects of the Rid-O-Kid 2000 had finally worn off. Yesterday George, Yesterday Harold and Yesterday Em were back to their old selves again, but nothing around them seemed normal at all.

"Huh," said Yesterday Em. "I wonder where George, Harold and Em went off to."

"I have no clue," said Yesterday Harold. "They could be anywhere."

"But what's even more strange is that Tony, Orlando and Dawn are gone," said Yesterday George, checking their pets' beds. "Maybe they went with our future selves."

The three kids were confused by the sudden disappearances of their beloved pets, nor why everything turned out okay. But seeing that everything was now back to normal, the three were just grateful that they were still alive. So the three best friends went to their drawing table in their treehouse.

"Maybe we should make another comic book," suggested Em. "But, I do wonder which superhero we should do."

"Maybe another Captain Underpants comic?" asked Harold.

"Nah," said George. "Let's do something different. We'll need to think long and hard about a future comic series about Sulu, Crackers and their offspring. Maybe we can make a Dog Man comic or something in the meantime."

"Well, sure," agreed Em. "It's been a while since we did Dog Man."

"Yeah, I concur," said Harold. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt to revisit the past a little bit."

"Okay!" said George happily. "Many of our fellow students will be surprised by this. I remember they all liked our very first comic."

So he, Harold and Em wrote, drew and colored the new comic respectively. The ideas they were coming up with also made them laugh and laugh. George went to get three cans of orange soda from their small refrigerator, Em went to get their supplies from their padlocked crate while Harold went to their junk food cupboard to get some chocolate chip cookies and barbecue potato chips. It was looking like a good and peaceful afternoon.

%$%$%$%$%

 **Author's note: Well, it does look like the end is here. Whether Dav Pilkey will do a 13th epic novel or not remains unknown. But I don't think he's quite finished with the series, especially when there are still some loose ends that need to be tied up. He could be taking a break to come with possible ideas for a possible 13th book. I do apologize for the seven month wait for this fanfic, but hopefully reading it will be worth it. I'm going to leave it up to you to decide the name of Old Em's husband.**


End file.
